Ohio State gets a victory and a dose of toughness

Oct. 6, 2013

Written by

George Schroeder

USA Today

EVANSTON, ILL. — The ball skittered free, and Joey Bosa pounced on it in the end zone.

Then he did one more thing.

“I looked up at the scoreboard,” Bosa said, “just to make sure.”

No one should blame any of the Ohio State Buckeyes if they did the same thing.

Bosa’s touchdown on the final play of a 40-30 victory against Northwestern was less an exclamation point than a sigh of relief. Never mind the final score, which came when the Wildcats’ desperate laterals on the final play didn’t work. The Buckeyes have won 18 in a row, but this one just barely.

“This crazy winning streak,” said Bosa, a freshman defensive end. “You could see today it’s tough to keep it going. ... It was nerve-wracking.”

On a night when No. 15 Northwestern made enough plays to pull off an upset, it ended the way they all have since Urban Meyer’s arrival. In the tall, wet grass at Ryan Field, No. 3 Ohio State showcased the stuff that makes the Buckeyes potentially special — and some infuriating flaws, as well. Although the Buckeyes are halfway home to another perfect season and from there to a place in the inevitable final BCS argument, it’s difficult to know how good this team is.

Ohio State has taken deserved flak for a soft schedule, and will be hurt the rest of the way by the Big Ten’s mediocrity. Although Northwestern is good, the Buckeyes didn’t resemble a bunch that was ready to take on, say, Alabama or Oregon. But don’t miss this:

“Anytime you go a 15-round fight with someone and you come out the other end, it just builds toughness,” Meyer said. “We’re a tough team. We toughed out a win.”

Consider Braxton Miller, the gifted but confounding junior quarterback. In the fourth quarter, he made plays with his head and his arm — and his feet — that few guys can make. But before that, he fumbled twice, threw an interception and airmailed what should have been an easy touchdown pass out of the stadium.